The Serbian Campaign was fought from August 1914 until then end of the war in 1918 with a nearly two year break in the middle as Serbia was conquered. Motto: None Anthem: Bože Pravde Capital Belgrade Largest city Belgrade Official language(s) Serbian Government • President • Prime Minister Republic Boris Tadić Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Independence Part of Serbia and Montenegro Area  - Total    - Water (%)   88,361 km² (112th if ranked) 34,166 sq mi  N/A Population  - 2005 est. ... It has been suggested that Irreconcilables be merged into this article or section. ... European military alliances in 1915. ... Motto: None Anthem: Bože Pravde Capital Belgrade Largest city Belgrade Official language(s) Serbian Government • President • Prime Minister Republic Boris Tadić Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Independence Part of Serbia and Montenegro Area  - Total    - Water (%)   88,361 km² (112th if ranked) 34,166 sq mi  N/A Population  - 2005 est. ... European military alliances in 1915. ... August is the eighth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

Setting the Stage

World War I was, in at least one sense, started when a group of young men (calling themselves Young_Bosnia), backed by a secret Serbian society (the Black Hand) assassinated the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Austria-Hungary, furious about the murder and many previous Serbian attempts to destabilize their Slavic territories, issued a set of demands, the July Ultimatum. Serbia accepted all but one of Austria's demands but mobilized its army on July 25, 1914. The Austrian's rejected the Serbian response and mobilized their southern army for a war against Serbia. Young Bosnia (Serbo-Croatian Mlada Bosna) was a revolutionary youth organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the early 20th century. ... Members of the Black Hand Black Hand (Serbian Cyrillic: Црна рука), officially Unification or Death (Serbian Cyrillic: Уједињење или смрт) was a secret association founded in Serbia in May 1911 as part of the Pan-slavism nationalist movement, with the intention of uniting all of the territories containing Serb populations (notably Bosnia and Herzegovina, annexed... A plaque commemorating the exact scene of the Sarajevo Assassination. ... Franz Ferdinand is the name of: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria. ... The Austro-Hungarian Ultimatum to Serbia or July Ultimatum was an ultimatum or final list of demands delivered to the government of Serbia on July 23, 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

For complex reasons, the dispute between Austria and Serbia blew up into a war which involved Russia, Germany, France, and Great Britian. Within a week Austria had to face a war with Russia, and Russia had the largest army in the world at the time. The result was Serbia became a side-show to the massive fight that started to unfold along Austria's border with Russia. Given that Serbia did not have the military power to threaten Austria's territory, the Austrians might well have ignored Serbia entirely until the war with Russia was concluded. However, Austrian pride prevented such a clear-eyed analysis of the military situation and so the attack on Serbia went ahead anyways. Great Britain is an island lying off the western coast of Europe, comprising the main territory of the United Kingdom. ...

Serbia's strategy was to hold on as long as they could and hope the Russians would defeat the main Austrian army. Serbia constantly had to worry about their hostile neighbor to the east, Bulgaria, with whom they had fought several wars, including one in 1913 alone.

The Serbian army at the start of the war was some 200,000 strong. Their general was Marshal (Voivode) Radomir Putnik. He was in bad health and in a hospital in Austria at the start of the war. The Austrian government arrested him at the hospital but then, stupidly, put him on a train back to Serbia just before the war began (C. Falls p. 38). Putnik brilliantly handled the Serbian army even though he almost never left his special room in Serbia. Marshal Radomir Putnik Radomir Putnik (January 24, 1847–May 17, 1917) was a Serbian Field Marshal and chief of general staff in the Balkan Wars and the First World War, and took part in all wars that Serbia waged from 1876 to 1917. ...

1914

The war against Serbia started on August 12 when Austrian armies crossed the border, the Drina river (see map). August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The Drina is a river on the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro. ...

First Attack on Serbia, August 1914

While the entire Austrian army was very large, due to the Russian declaration of war, the Austrians could only attack with two small armies (the Sixth and the Fifth) over the Bosnian border. They had around 180,000 men, though much better equiped than the Serbian army. Overall Austrian command was in the hands of the ineffective General Potiorek. Oskar Potiorek (1853 – 1933) was an Austrian general who served as the Austro-Hungarian governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1911 and 1914. ...

The Serbian army threw back repeated attempts to cross the Drina and Save rivers (this action is called the Battle_of_Cer or the Battle of Jadar). After very hard fighting, the Austrian army ceased their attempts to cross the rivers. In early September, the Serbs launched a small offensive into southern Bosnia, hoping to incite a revolt amoung their fellow Slavs, it had no effect and was driven out within a few weeks. The Battle of Cer was one of the first battles of the First World War. ...

Later Operations in Serbia, 1914

September 7 brought a renewed attack on the rivers by the Austrian army. Marshall Putnik ordered a retreat into the surrounding hills as the Serbian army was running very low on artillery shells (which had to be supplied by the Allies, and they were short themselves). September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ...

The Austrian army, having pushed up to the new Serbian positions, launched another attack on November 5. The Serbians withdrew under pressure and finally evacuated their, essentially indefensible, capital, Belgrade on November 30. The Austrian army entered the city on December 2. November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 56 days remaining. ... For other uses, see Belgrade (disambiguation). ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

At this point Marshall Putnik correctly sensed that the Austrian forces were dangerously weakened and so he ordered a full scale counter-attack with the entire Serbian army on December 3. The fighting was furious along the front lines but after three days, General Potiorek lost his nerve and ordered yet another retreat back to across the rivers into Austrian territory. See 2nd map. The Serbian army recaptured Belgrade on December 15. December 3 is the 337th (in leap years the 338th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

So the first phase of the war against Serbia ended with no change in the border but the casualties were incredible compared to earlier wars, though sadly, not out of keeping with other campaigns of this war. The Austrian army lost around 227,000 (total forces used in the campaign were 450,000 men). Serbian losses were 170,000. Austrian General Potiorek was removed from command and replaced by Archduke Eugen (C. Falls p. 54). On the Serbian side, a deadly typhus epidemic killed thousands of Serbian civilians during the winter months.

1915

Early in 1915, with the Ottoman government's defeats at the Battle of Sarikamis and in the First Suez Offensive, the German Chief of the General Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn tried to convince the Austrian Chief of Staff, Conrad von Hotzendorf, of the importance of conquering Serbia. If Serbia was taken, then the Germans would have a rail link from Germany, through Austria and down to Constantinople (and beyond). Such a rail link would allow the Germans to send military supplies and even troops to help the Ottoman Empire. While helping the Ottoman Empire was hardly in Austria's interests, the Austrians did want to defeat Serbia. However, Russia was much more dangerous and with the entry of Italy into the war on the Allied side, the Austrians had their hands full. Combatants Russia Ottoman Empire Commanders General Vorontsov General Yudenich Enver Pasha Strength 100,000 90,000 (plus aprox. ... The first Suez Offence was an offence in 1915 in World War One. ... In the military systems of many countries, the Chief of the General Staff is the professional head of that countrys General Staff. ... Erich von Falkenhayn Chief of the General Staff Erich von Falkenhayn (11 November 1861 - 8 April 1922) was a German soldier and Chief of the General Staff during World War I. Falkenhayn was a career soldier. ... A 1915 portrait of Graf Conrad von Hötzendorf Franz Graf Conrad von Hötzendorf, or Count Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf. ... Map of Constantinople. ...

Conquest of Serbia, 1915

Both the Allies and the Central Powers tried to get Bulgaria to pick a side in the great war. Bulgaria and Serbia had fought two wars in the last 30 years, the first war in 1885 (see Serbo-Bulgarian_War for details), the second in 1913 (see the Second_Balkan_War for details). The result was, the Bulgarian government felt that Serbia had stolen land which rightfully belonged to them and when the Central Powers offered to give them most of the land they claimed, the Bulgarian government was convinced. With the Allied loss at Gallipoli and the Russian defeat at Gorlice, King Ferdinand signed a treaty with Germany and on September 23, 1915 began mobilizing for war. The Serbo-Bulgarian War (Bulgarian: Сръбско-българска война, Srabsko-balgarska voyna; Serbian: Српско-бугарски рат, Srpsko-bugarski rat) was a war between Serbia and Bulgaria that erupted on November 14 1885 and lasted until November 28 the same year. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Second Balkan War was fought in 1913 between Bulgaria on one side and Greece and Serbia on the other side. ... Satellite image of the Gallipoli peninsula and surrounding area Gallipoli, called Gelibolu in modern Turkish, (Greek: Καλλίπολις), is a town in northwestern Turkey. ... Ferdinand Maximilan Charles Leopold Marie, Ferdinand of Bulgaria (February 26, 1861 - September 10, 1948) was monarch of Bulgaria as well as an author, botanist and philatelist. ... September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

For the last nine months, the Serbians had done what they could to rebuild their weakened armies and improve their state of supplies. Despite great effort, the Serbian army was only about 30,000 men stronger than at the start of the war (around 225,000) and it still was not well equiped. Although the Allies (England and France) had talked about sending serious military forces to Serbia, nothing was done until it was too late. When Bulgaria began mobilization, the French and British sent two divisions to help Serbia but they arrived late in the Greek town of Salonika. The Greek government was very conflicted about the war and about helping Serbia. The White Tower The Arch of Galerius Map showing the Thessaloníki prefecture Thessaloníki (Θεσσαλονίκη) is the second-largest city of Greece and is the principal city and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia. ...

Against Serbia was marshalled the Bulgarian army, a German army, and an Austrian army all under the command of Field Marshall Mackensen totalling more than 300,000 soldiers. The Germans and Austrians began their attack on October 7 with a massive artillery barrage followed by attacks across the rivers. Then, on the 11th, the Bulgarian army attacked from two directions, one from the north of Bulgaria towards Nish, the other from the south towards Skopje (see the map). The Bulgarian army was large, tough, and rapidly broke through the weaker Serbian forces that tried to block their path of advance. With the Bulgarian break-through, the Serbian position was hopeless, either their main army in the north would be surrounded and forced to surrender, or it could try to retreat. Field Marshal August von Mackensen August von Mackensen (December 6, 1849–November 8, 1945), was a German Field Marshal, born August Mackensen in Haus Leipnitz, in the Prussian province of Saxony, to Louis and Marie Louise Mackensen. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years). ... Niš (Ниш, the Roman Naissus; see below) is a city in Serbia and Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia), 43. ... Skopje (Macedonian: Скопје, see also other names of Skopje) is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Macedonia, as well as the political, cultural, economical and academic centre of the country. ...

Marshal Putnik ordered a full retreat, south and west through Montenegro and into Albania. The weather was terrible, the roads poor, and the army had to help the tens of thousands of civilians who retreated with them. All told, some 125,000 Serbian soldiers reached the coast of the Adriatic sea and embarked on French transport ships that carried the army to various Greek island (many went to Corfu) before being sent to Salonika. Marshall Putnik had to be carried during the whole retreat and he died a year later in a hospital in France. Motto: None Anthem: Oj, svijetla majska zoro Capital Podgorica Largest city Podgorica Official language(s) Serbian Government • President • Prime Minister Republic Filip Vujanović Milo Đukanović Independence Part of Serbia and Montenegro Area  - Total    - Water (%)   13,812 km² (157th if ranked) 5,333 sq mi  N/A Population  - 2003 est. ... The Adriatic Sea Source: NASA The Adriatic Sea (Italian Mare Adriatico, German Adriatisches Meer or Adria, Slovenian Jadransko morje or Jadran, Croatian Jadransko more or Jadran, Serbian Јадранско море or Јадран, Albanian Deti Adriatik) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea separating the Apennine peninsula (Italy) from the Balkan peninsula, and the system... Pontikonisi Island Corfu (ancient and modern Greek Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, Latin Corcyra; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is an island of Greece, in the Ionian Sea. ...

The French and British divisions marched north from Salonika in late November but retreated back by mid-December, having done nothing to help the Serbian army.

This was a nearly complete victory for the Central Powers, the railroad from Berlin to Constantinople was finally opened and as a result Germany was able to prop-up their weak partner, the Ottoman Empire. The Serbians army remarkably did not fall apart but stayed organized and fought again in later years.

1916

Inconclusive fighting along the Greek border.

1917

Very quiet on this front.

1918

Allies counter-attack and recapture all of Serbia. First Bulgaria, then Hungary sues for peace.

Sources

• Falls, Cyril The Great War (1960).

See also